Police are looking for a British man accused of shooting dead his Thai wife and going on the run.
Anthony James Condron, 56, from Witham, Essex, allegedly murdered Pattanee Urapanom, 43, with a handgun at their hotel resort before fleeing the scene.
Police found Ms Urapanom’s body at the Janpanom Farm Stay in Maha Sarakham, Thailand, on Tuesday morning.
Her body was reportedly lying face up on a motorcycle with a gunshot wound to her head. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officers from the Don Wan district station believe that Mr Condron shot his wife while she mounted the vehicle to ride away.
Police checkpoints were placed around the area in a desperate bid to catch him.
Locals said the suspect had lived in Thailand for more than 10 years.
Police Major General Paladech Petwango said: ‘The victim was a well-loved member of the community due to her friendly nature and volunteering work with schools and charities.
Brit Anthony James Condron, 56, is suspected of shooting his wife in Thailand
Pattanee Urapanom’s body was found by police on Tuesday morning at the Janpanom Farm Stay in Maha Sarakham
Police are desperately trying to catch Mr Condron
‘Her friends and family are in shock. They are overcome with grief and cannot understand how this happened.
‘Based on the tracked route, we found that the suspect fled the scene and travelled to Khon Kaen province and abandoned his white Isuzu vehicle.
‘We coordinated with the Immigration Bureau, the regional Investigation Division, Maha Sarakham Provincial Police, and several agencies to assist in the manhunt.
‘Whether anyone assisted him in fleeing remains under investigation.’
Police questioned neighbours who claimed they had heard the Brit shouting at his wife before the gunshots were fired.
The officer added: ‘The neighbors did not understand what the argument was about because the couple were speaking in English.
‘They said that the couple had argued frequently prior to the incident.
‘The man had lived with his wife for several years, but they did not have any children.
Ms Urapanom was pronounced dead at the scene after reportedly being shot in the head
Neighbours claimed they had heard the Brit shouting at his wife before the gunshots were fired
‘The wife ran a homestay named Janpanom Farm Stay, while the foreign man was retired and unemployed.
‘The case has drawn strong public attention, and the suspect also carried a firearm, which posed a danger to the public, so we had to urgently find him.
‘The inquiry officer has requested an arrest warrant from the court on a charge of intentional homicide.’
